Communication control apparatus, vehicle, computer-readable storage medium, and communication control method

ABSTRACT

A communication control apparatus includes an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image from an image capturing unit installed in a movable object, a reception control unit configured to control reception of risk area information including location information from another movable object, a determination unit configured to determine whether a notification target is present in a region based on the location information included in the risk area information based on the image, and a transmission control unit configured to control transmission of a determination result of the determination unit to the other movable object.

The contents of the following Japanese patent application are incorporated herein by reference:

Japanese Patent Application NO. 2020-154869 filed on Sep. 15, 2020.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a communication control apparatus, a vehicle, a computer-readable storage medium, and a communication control method.

2. Related Art

Patent document 1 describes “a communication terminal for vehicles which is configured to transmit a search signal and also receive a response signal”. Patent document 2 describes “image recognition means configured to recognize a pedestrian from an image in the vicinity of a vehicle”.

LIST OF CITED REFERENCES Patent Documents

[Patent document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2017-27525

[Patent document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2006-163637

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a usage scene of a warning system 10.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system configuration of a vehicle 20.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a flow of processing executed by a vehicle 20 a, a terminal 82 a, and a vehicle 20 d.

FIG. 4 conceptually illustrates location information of a risk area to be managed.

FIG. 5 illustrates one example of a display method of warning information in the vehicle 20.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart related to an information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus 24.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart related to the information processing method executed by the information processing apparatus 24.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a computer 2000.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described by way of embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments are not intended to restrict the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments necessarily have to be essential to solving means of the invention.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a usage scene of a warning system 10. The warning system 10 includes a vehicle 20 a, a vehicle 20 b, a vehicle 20 c, a vehicle 20 d, a vehicle 20 e, and a vehicle 20 f, and a terminal 82 a and a terminal 82 b.

According to the present embodiment, the vehicle 20 a, the vehicle 20 b, the vehicle 20 c, the vehicle 20 d, the vehicle 20 e, and the vehicle 20 f may be collectively referred to as the “vehicle 20”. The vehicle 20 is one example of the “vehicle 20”. In addition, the terminal 82 a and the terminal 82 b are terminals respectively possessed by a pedestrian 80 a and a pedestrian 80 b. According to the present embodiment, the pedestrian 80 a and the pedestrian 80 b may be collectively referred to as the “pedestrian 80”. In addition, the terminals 82 a and 82 b may be collectively referred to as the “terminal 82”.

The vehicle 20 a includes a sensor 29 a and an information processing apparatus 24 a. The sensor 29 a is configured by including a camera. The information processing apparatus 24 a includes a processing function of information acquired by the sensor 29 a, and a communication function. Note that according to the present embodiment, any of suffixes “a” to “f” of reference signs of the vehicles 20 is assigned to an end of a reference sign of the component included in the vehicle 20, so that the components (for example, the sensors 29 and the information processing apparatuses 24) are distinguished to be included in which of the vehicles 20.

In FIG. 1, the vehicle 20 a is a vehicle traveling along a road 70. The vehicle 20 b is a vehicle parked on the road 70. For the vehicle 20 a, an area 110 in an advancing direction of the vehicle 20 a relative to the parked vehicle 20 b is an area where it is difficult to be visually recognized from a location of the vehicle 20 a. In addition, the vehicle 20 c is a vehicle traveling along an oncoming lane of the road 70 when viewed from the vehicle 20 a. An area 120 in the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 a relative to the vehicle 20 c is an area where it is difficult to be visually recognized from the location of the vehicle 20 a. Therefore, the information processing apparatus 24 a detects the area 110 and the area 120 that are not on a line of sight from the vehicle 20 a as a risk area from an image in the advancing direction which is acquired by the sensor 29 a. The information processing apparatus 24 a transmits risk area information including location information of the areas 110 and 120 by wireless communication.

In FIG. 1, the vehicle 20 d is an oncoming vehicle of the vehicle 20 a, and is a vehicle traveling in a location where the area 110 and the area 120 can be visually recognized. When the risk area information transmitted from the vehicle 20 a is received, an information processing apparatus 24 d of the vehicle 20 d judges whether a pedestrian is present in each of the area 110 and the area 120 from an image acquired by a sensor 29 d. When it is detected that the pedestrian 80 a is present in the area 110 from the image acquired by the sensor 29 d, the information processing apparatus 24 d transmits response information indicating the presence of the pedestrian in the area 110 to the vehicle 20 a by the wireless communication. In addition, when it is detected that the pedestrian is absent in the area 120 from the image acquired by the sensor 29 d, the information processing apparatus 24 d transmits the response information indicating the absence of the pedestrian in the area 120 to the vehicle 20 a by the wireless communication. In addition, when it is judged that a current location of the terminal 82 a is within the area 110, the terminal 82 a transmits the response information indicating the presence of the terminal 82 a in the area 110 to the vehicle 20 a by the wireless communication. In addition, the terminal 82 a outputs warning information for the pedestrian 80 a.

In the vehicle 20 a, when the response information indicating the presence of the pedestrian in the area 110 is received from the vehicle 20 d, the information processing apparatus 24 a performs warning display. In addition, when the response information is received from the terminal 82 a, the information processing apparatus 24 a performs the warning display.

In addition, in FIG. 1, it is difficult to visually recognize an area 130 from a location of the vehicle 20 e traveling on the road 72, for example, since a building 90 is an obstruction. For this reason, an information processing apparatus 24 e of the vehicle 20 e determines the area 130 as the risk area, and transmits the risk area information including the location information of the area 130 by the wireless communication.

In FIG. 1, the vehicle 20 f is an oncoming vehicle of the vehicle 20 e, and is a vehicle stopping in a location where the area 130 can be visually recognized. When the risk area information transmitted from the vehicle 20 e is received, an information processing apparatus 24 f of the vehicle 20 f judges whether a pedestrian is present in the area 130 from an image acquired by a sensor 29 f. When it is detected that the pedestrian 80 b is present in the area 130 from the image acquired by the sensor 29 f, the information processing apparatus 24 f transmits the response information indicating the presence of pedestrian in the area 130 to the vehicle 20 e by the wireless communication. In addition, when it is judged that a current location of the terminal 82 b is within the area 130, the terminal 82 b transmits the response information indicating the presence of the terminal 82 b in the area 130 to the vehicle 20 e by the wireless communication. In addition, the terminal 82 b outputs the warning information for the pedestrian 80 b.

In the vehicle 20 e, when the response information indicating the presence of the pedestrian in the area 130 is received from the vehicle 20 f, the information processing apparatus 24 e performs the warning display. In addition, when the response information is received from the terminal 82 b, the information processing apparatus 24 e performs the warning display.

In this manner, the information processing apparatus 24 determines a non line of sight area corresponding to a blind corner from its own vehicle as the risk area, and transmits the risk area information including the location information of the risk area to another vehicle by the wireless communication. When the risk area information is received, the other vehicle judges whether a pedestrian is present in the risk area, and transmits the response information indicating the presence of the pedestrian in the risk area by the wireless communication. In addition, when its own terminal is present in the risk area, the terminal 82 transmits the response information by the wireless communication. When the response information from the terminal 82 of the pedestrian or the other vehicle is received, the information processing apparatus 24 performs the warning display for an occupant of the vehicle 20. With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately perform a notification of the risk area that cannot be recognized by the vehicle 20 or the pedestrian 80. The risk area is a recognition of a state related to an external environment recognized by the vehicle 20 or the information processing apparatus 24. The risk area may be, for example, an area where there is a risk for the pedestrian 80 or the vehicle 20. The risk area may be, for example, an area where a safety check is to be performed for the pedestrian 80 or the vehicle 20.

Note that communication between the information processing apparatus 24 and the terminal 82, and the information processing apparatus 24 of the other vehicle 20 is executed by direct communication. For example, a communication apparatus 290 performs the direct communication with the terminal 82 and the information processing apparatus 24 of the other vehicle 20 by short distance direct communication in Cellular-V2X. Examples of the short distance direct communication in Cellular-V2X include a communication system such as LTE-V2X PC5 or 5G-V2X PC5 (according to the present embodiment, which will be abbreviated as “PC5”). A mode using Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or dedicated short range communications (DSRC) may be adopted as the direct communication. The information processing apparatus 24 may perform the direct communication via a base station 50 such as an MEC server. Any direct communication system such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) other than Cellular-V2X or DSRC (registered trademark) may be adopted as the direct communication. The information processing apparatus 24 may perform the direct communication with the terminal 82 and the information processing apparatus 24 of the other vehicle 20 using a communication infrastructure included in intelligent transport systems (ITS).

Note that according to the present embodiment, for ease of the description, a case will be considered where it is judged on whether a pedestrian is present in a risk area. The pedestrian refers to a person who can make a passage on a road by a method without relying on a vehicle. The pedestrian includes a person who makes a passage on a road using a wheel chair or the like. However, it may be judged on whether not only the pedestrian but also any movable object such as a person other than the pedestrian or another vehicle is present in the risk area. The person other than the pedestrian may include a person aboard a stopped vehicle.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system configuration of the vehicle 20. The vehicle 20 includes the sensor 29, a drive assist control apparatus 30, the information processing apparatus 24, the communication apparatus 290, and an information output apparatus 40.

The sensor 29 includes a radar 21, a camera 22, a GNSS reception unit 25, and a vehicle speed sensor 26. The radar 21 may be a LiDAR, a millimeter wave radar, or the like. The GNSS reception unit 25 is configured to receive radio waves transmitted from a GNSS satellite. The GNSS reception unit 25 generates information indicating a current location of the vehicle 20 based on a signal received from the GNSS satellite. The camera 22 is configured to generate image information by capturing an image of a surrounding of the vehicle 20. For example, the camera 22 generates the image information by capturing an image in the advancing direction of the vehicle 20. The camera 22 may be a single-lens camera. The camera 22 may be a multi-lens camera, and may be a camera that acquires distance information to an object. Note that the sensor 29 may include a location sensor such as an odometer, or an inertial measurement unit (IMU) such as an acceleration sensor or an orientation sensor.

The drive assist control apparatus 30 is configured to perform drive assist of the vehicle 20 using information detected by the sensor 29. The drive assist control apparatus 30 may be achieved by an ECU having a function of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).

The communication apparatus 290 plays a role of performing the direct communication between the terminal 82 and the other vehicle 20. For example, the communication apparatus 290 plays a role of performing the wireless communication based on PC5.

The information processing apparatus 24 includes a communication control apparatus 200 and a storage unit 280. The communication control apparatus 200 is achieved, for example, by an arithmetic processing apparatus including a processor. The storage unit 280 is achieved by including a nonvolatile storage medium. The communication control apparatus 200 performs processing using information stored in the storage unit 280. The communication control apparatus 200 may be achieved by an electronic control unit (ECU) including a microcomputer provided with a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I/O, a bus, and the like.

The communication control apparatus 200 includes an image acquisition unit 210, a detection unit 220, a location information acquisition unit 230, a determination unit 270, a transmission control unit 250, and a reception control unit 260. Note that a functional configuration of the communication control apparatus 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 is a functional configuration that plays a role of a functional part of the information processing apparatus 24 d in the vehicle 20 d and the information processing apparatus 24 f in the vehicle 20 f which are described with reference to FIG. 1.

The location information acquisition unit 230 is configured to acquire the location information of the vehicle 20. For example, the location information acquisition unit 230 acquires the location information of the vehicle 20 from the GNSS reception unit 25. The image acquisition unit 210 is configured to acquire an image of an outside of the vehicle 20. The image acquisition unit 210 acquires an image captured by the camera 22 installed in the vehicle 20.

The reception control unit 260 is configured to control reception of risk area information including location information from the other vehicle 20. The location information indicates an area where the presence of a notification target cannot be recognized from the other vehicle 20. For example, the location information is location information of an area (non line of sight area) where occlusion is generated due to shielding by an object such as a building or the other vehicle 20 that is stopping when viewed from a location of the other vehicle 20. Note that the notification target refers to a target of which the other vehicle 20 or the like is notified regarding the presence in the risk area. The transmission control unit 250 is configured to control transmission of a determination result of the determination unit 270 to another movable object. The notification target may include at least one of a person and a vehicle. According to the present embodiment, the notification target is the pedestrian 80.

The determination unit 270 is configured to determine whether the notification target is present in a region based on the location information included in the risk area information based on the image acquired from the camera 22. For example, the determination unit 270 may extract an image region showing the risk area from the image captured by the camera 22 based on the location information of the vehicle 20 acquired by the location information acquisition unit 230, an angle of view of the camera 22, and an orientation of the vehicle 20, and detect the pedestrian 80 from the extracted image region. The determination unit 270 may specify a geographic location of the pedestrian 80 detected from the image region based on the distance information detected from the radar 21 or an multi-viewpoint image and the location information of the vehicle 20. When the specified geographic location of the pedestrian 80 is included in the risk area indicated by the location information, the determination unit 270 may determine that the pedestrian 80 is present in the risk area.

Note that the location information may be a plurality of pieces of coordinate information indicating an area where it is to be determined on whether the notification target is present. The location information may be location information indicating a geographic location. When the risk area has a quadrangle shape, the plurality of pieces of coordinate information may be coordinate information of vertices of the quadrangle. The determination unit 270 may determine whether a notification target is present in an area including the plurality of pieces of coordinate information.

The location information may include coordinate information indicating the area where it is to be determined on whether the notification target is present and distance information from the coordinate information. For example, the location information may include coordinate information of a specific point of the risk area and distance information representing a size of the risk area using the point as a reference. The determination unit 270 may determine whether the notification target is present in an area set by the coordinate information and the distance information.

The risk area information may include designation information indicating a movable object that is to transmit a determination result. The designation information may include information at least one of a location, an orientation, an advancing direction, and a type of the movable object that is to transmit the determination result. When it is judged that the determination result is to be transmitted based on the designation information, the determination unit 270 may determine whether the notification target is present in the region based on the location information included in the risk area information.

Note that the information output apparatus 40 is an apparatus configured to output the warning information. The information output apparatus 40 may have a function of a human machine interface (HMI). The information output apparatus 40 may include a head-up display or a navigation system. The information output apparatus 40 may be a mobile terminal possessed by an occupant of the vehicle 20. The information output apparatus 40 may be a sound output apparatus configured to output the warning information using a sound. When the response information is received from the other the vehicle 20, the information output apparatus 40 is configured to control display of information based on the response information. For example, when the response information indicating the presence of the notification target in the vicinity of the risk area is received from the other the vehicle 20, the information output apparatus 40 outputs the warning information as notification information.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a flow of processing executed by the vehicle 20 a, the terminal 82 a, and the vehicle 20 d. FIG. 3 illustrates the flow of the processing when the vehicle 20 a communicates with the terminal 82 a and the vehicle 20 d based on PC5.

In S302, the information processing apparatus 24 a of the vehicle 20 a recognizes non line of sight areas in the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 a from the image acquired from the sensor 29 a. In S304, the information processing apparatus 24 a selects the risk area from among the non line of sight areas recognized in S302. For example, the information processing apparatus 24 a selects, as the risk area, an area where the risk area information is not transmitted in a predetermined period of time previous to the present time among the non line of sight areas recognized in S302. The information processing apparatus 24 a selects, as the risk area, an area where the vehicle 20 a reaches within a predetermined period of time among the non line of sight areas recognized in S302. For example, the information processing apparatus 24 a calculates a period of time required for arrival corresponding to a period of time until the vehicle 20 a reaches a location in the vicinity of the non line of sight area based on a distance to the non line of sight area which is calculated from at least one of the image acquired by the sensor 29 a and the distance measured by the sensor 29 a and a vehicle speed measured by the vehicle speed sensor 26, and selects a line of sight area where the period of time required for arrival is within a predetermined period of time as the risk area.

In S306, the information processing apparatus 24 a calculates the coordinate information of the risk area selected in S304. The information processing apparatus 24 a calculates absolute coordinate information of the risk area selected in S304 based on the current location of the vehicle 20 a and relative coordinates of the risk area using the vehicle 20 a as the reference. The absolute coordinate information of the risk area may be geographic coordinates of the risk area. The absolute coordinate information of the risk area may include latitude information and longitude information of the risk area.

In S308, the vehicle 20 a transmits the risk area information. The risk area information may include an area ID, the coordinate information of the risk area, transmission source information of the risk area information, and the period of time required for arrival. The area ID is identification information for uniquely specifying the risk area selected in S304. The area ID may be identification information decided by the information processing apparatus 24 a. The transmission source information is identification information for uniquely specifying the vehicle 20 a corresponding to a transmission source of the risk area information.

In S312, when the risk area information transmitted from the vehicle 20 a is received, the terminal 82 a determines whether the terminal 82 a is located in the risk area. For example, the terminal 82 a judges whether coordinates of the current location of the terminal 82 a are in a region set by the coordinate information included in the risk area information. When the terminal 82 a is located in the risk area, in S314, the terminal 82 a transmits the response information indicating the presence of the pedestrian in the risk area to the vehicle 20 a. The terminal 82 a includes, in the response information, the area ID included in the risk area information received by the terminal 82 a and a terminal ID for uniquely identifying the terminal 82 a, and transmits the response information. In addition, in S316, the terminal 82 a performs warning to the pedestrian 80 a by the human machine interface (HMI) function of the terminal 82 a. Note that in S312, when it is judged that the terminal 82 a is not located in the risk area, the terminal 82 a discards the received risk area information, does not transmit the response information, and does not output the warning.

In S322, in the vehicle 20 d, when the risk area information transmitted from the vehicle 20 a is received, the determination unit 270 determines whether a pedestrian is present in the risk area. For example, the information processing apparatus 24 d judges whether a pedestrian is present in a region set by the coordinate information included in the risk area information based on the image acquired by the sensor 29 d and the distance information. In S324, the transmission control unit 250 transmits the response information including the determination result of the determination unit 270 to the vehicle 20 a. The transmission control unit 250 includes, in the response information, the area ID included in the received risk area information, the terminal ID for uniquely identifying the vehicle 20 d, and presence information indicating whether a pedestrian is present in the risk area, and causes the communication apparatus 290 to transmit the response information.

In S310, when the response information transmitted from the terminal 82 a is received, the information processing apparatus 24 a causes the warning information to be output based on the HMI function of the information output apparatus 40. In addition, when the response information received from the vehicle 20 d includes the presence information indicating the presence of the pedestrian in the risk area, the information processing apparatus 24 a causes the warning information to be output based on the HMI function of the information output apparatus 40.

FIG. 4 conceptually illustrates the location information of the risk area to be managed by the information processing apparatus 24 a. In the vehicle 20 a, the information processing apparatus 24 a calculates coordinates of each of four points including a point 111, a point 112, a point 113, and a point 114 which represent an outline of the area 110 judged as the risk area. The area 110 is a closed region formed by linking the coordinates of the point 111, the point 112, the point 113, and the point 114. In addition, the information processing apparatus 24 a calculates coordinates of each of four points including a point 121, a point 122, a point 123, and a point 124 which represent an outline of the area 120 judged as the risk area. The area 120 is a closed region formed by linking the coordinates of the point 121, the point 122, the point 123, and the point 124. The information processing apparatus 24 a stores the coordinates of each of the point 111, the point 112, the point 113, and the point 114 while being associated with the area ID assigned to the area 110. In addition, the information processing apparatus 24 a stores the coordinates of each of the point 121, the point 122, the point 123, and the point 124 while being associated with the area ID assigned to the area 120.

When the vehicle 20 d receives the risk area information, the determination unit 270 analyzes the image region showing an area surrounded by the four points indicated by the coordinates included in the location information from the image acquired by the camera 22, and detects a pedestrian in the area. The transmission control unit 250 transmits the response information including a detection result of the pedestrian in the area surrounded by the four points by the determination unit 270 and the area ID to the vehicle 20 a corresponding to the transmission source of the risk area information. In addition, when the terminal 82 receives the risk area information, the terminal 82 judges whether the current location of the terminal 82 is included in the area surrounded by the four points indicated by the coordinates included in the location information. When the current location of the terminal 82 is included in the area surrounded by the four points, the terminal 82 transmits the response information including the area ID to the vehicle 20 a corresponding to the transmission source of the risk area information.

Note that when the risk area has a circular shape, the location information of the risk area may include coordinate information of a central point of the risk area and diameter information of the risk area. When the risk area has a polygonal shape, the location information of the risk area may include coordinate information of a point serving as a reference of the polygonal shape and length information of sides such as a width and a height of the risk area. When the risk area has an elliptical shape, the location information of the risk area may include coordinate information of a central point of the risk area, a major axis, a minor axis, and azimuth angle information.

FIG. 5 illustrates one example of a display method of the warning information in the vehicle 20 a. Herein, descriptions will be provided while the information output apparatus 40 of the vehicle 20 a includes a head-up display. When the response information received from the information processing apparatus 24 d includes the presence information indicating the presence of the pedestrian in the risk area, the information processing apparatus 24 a judges an area corresponding to the area ID included in the response information as the risk area of the notification target. In addition, when the response information is received from the terminal 82 a, the information processing apparatus 24 a judges the area corresponding to the area ID included in the response information as the risk area of the notification target.

The information processing apparatus 24 a causes the information output apparatus 40 of the vehicle 20 a to project light for forming a mark 400 as the warning information indicating the presence of the pedestrian in the risk area. In addition, the information processing apparatus 24 a causes the information output apparatus 40 of the vehicle 20 a to output light for forming a mark 410 in a display region corresponding to the location of the risk area of notification target. The mark 410 is an object indicating the location of the risk area. The information output apparatus 40 projects the light for forming the mark 400 and the mark 410 towards a reflection member disposed on a wind shield 28 of the vehicle 20. Note that the information output apparatus 40 may output the warning information using a sound or a character.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart related to an information processing method executed by the information processing apparatus 24 a in the vehicle 20 a. The information processing apparatus 24 a repeatedly executes processing from a start point S600 of a loop of warning processing to an end point S630 of the loop of the warning processing. When a predetermined condition is satisfied in at least one of the start point S600 of the warning processing and the end point S630 of the warning processing, the information processing apparatus 24 a ends the loop of the warning processing.

In S602, the information processing apparatus 24 a acquires the location information acquired by the sensor 29 a as the current location of the vehicle 20. In S604, the information processing apparatus 24 a detects the risk area. For example, the information processing apparatus 24 a may detect the risk area based on object information extracted from the image acquired by the sensor 29 a and object information acquired by the sensor 29 a. The information processing apparatus 24 a may also detect the risk area based on location information of a building which is included in map information, the current location of the vehicle 20 a, and orientation information of the vehicle 20 a.

In S606, the information processing apparatus 24 a judges whether a risk area is detected. When the risk area is not detected, the flow shifts to the processing in S630. When the risk area is detected, in S608, the information processing apparatus 24 a calculates relative location of the risk area using the location of the vehicle 20 a as the reference. In S610, the information processing apparatus 24 a calculates the location information of the risk area. For example, the information processing apparatus 24 a calculates the coordinate information of the risk area based on coordinate information of the relative location of the risk area which is calculated in S608 and coordinate information of the current location of the vehicle 20 which is detected in S602. In S612, the information processing apparatus 24 a causes the communication apparatus 290 of the vehicle 20 a to transmit the location information of the risk area which is calculated in S610 and the risk area information including the area ID.

Note that the information processing apparatus 24 a may include, in the risk area information, designation information for designating the other vehicle 20 that is to detect whether a pedestrian is present in the risk area. For example, there are some cases where an area is a risk area for a passenger vehicle, but the area is not a risk area for a vehicle with a high vehicle height such as a heavy duty truck or a bus traveling behind the passenger vehicle. For this reason, the information processing apparatus 24 a may include, in the risk area information as a condition to be satisfied by the other vehicle 20 that detects whether a pedestrian is present in the risk area, information for specifying a vehicle height of the vehicle 20 or a type of the vehicle 20. In addition, the other vehicle 20 traveling in a direction intersecting with the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 is likely to be able to visibly recognize the risk area. For this reason, information processing apparatus 24 a may include, in the risk area information as a condition to be satisfied by the other vehicle 20 that detects whether a pedestrian is present in the risk area, information for designating the advancing direction of the vehicle 20. The information processing apparatus 24 a may include, in the risk area information, information for specifying a location of the vehicle as a condition to be satisfied by the other vehicle 20 that detects whether a pedestrian is present in the risk area. For example, when the vehicle 20 d receives the risk area information, in a case where the vehicle 20 d satisfies a condition included in the risk area information, the determination unit 270 of the vehicle 20 d may detect whether a pedestrian is present in the risk area, and transmit the response information.

In S614, the information processing apparatus 24 a judges whether the response information including the area ID is received from the other vehicle 20. When the response information is received, in S616, the information processing apparatus 24 a judges whether a pedestrian is present in the risk area based on the presence information included in the response information. When it is judged that the pedestrian is present in the risk area, in S618, the information processing apparatus 24 a causes the information output apparatus 40 of the vehicle 20 a to output the warning information.

In the judgement in S614, when the response information including the area ID is not received from the other vehicle 20, in S620, the information processing apparatus 24 a judges whether the response information including the area ID is received from the terminal 82. When the response information is received from the terminal 82, the flow shifts to the processing in S618. When the response information is not received from the terminal 82, the flow shifts to the processing in S630.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart related to an information processing method executed by the information processing apparatus 24 d. This flowchart is started when the risk area information from the vehicle 20 a is received based on the control of the reception control unit 260.

In S702, the determination unit 270 acquires a condition that is to be satisfied by the vehicle 20 that determines the presence of the pedestrian 80 from the risk area information. In S704, the determination unit 270 judges whether the vehicle 20 d satisfies the condition acquired in S702. When the vehicle 20 d does not satisfy the condition acquired in S702, the processing in this flowchart is ended.

In S706, the determination unit 270 acquires the location information of the risk area from the risk area information. In S708, the location information acquisition unit 230 acquires the location information of the vehicle 20 d. In S710, the determination unit 270 performs processing for determining whether a pedestrian is present in the risk area based on the image acquired by the camera 22. In S712, the transmission control unit 250 transmits the response information including the determination result of S710 to the vehicle 20 a. Note that the determination result included in the response information may be a determination result indicating that the pedestrian is present in the risk area. The determination result may be a determination result indicating that the pedestrian is absent in the risk area.

Note that in the embodiment described above, the mode has been described in which the vehicle 20 directly transmits the risk area information to the other vehicle 20 and the terminal 82. However, a mode can also be adopted in which the processing for judging whether the pedestrian is present in the risk area is performed via the base station 50. For example, when the risk area information is received, the base station 50 may select the terminal 82 corresponding to the transmission destination of the risk area information based on the location information included in the risk area information and the location information of the terminal 82 managed by the base station 50. When the response information is received from the terminal 82, the base station 50 may transmit the response information to the vehicle 20 corresponding to the transmission source of the risk area information. When it is judged that the terminal 82 is present in the risk area based on the location information included in the risk area information and the location information of the terminal 82 managed by the base station 50, the base station 50 may transmit the response information to the vehicle 20 corresponding to the transmission source of the risk area information. In addition, when the risk area information is received, the base station 50 may select the other vehicle 20 corresponding to the transmission destination of the risk area information based on the location information included in the risk area information and the location information of the other vehicle 20 managed by the base station 50. When the response information is received from the other vehicle 20, the base station 50 may transmit the response information to the vehicle 20 corresponding to the transmission source of the risk area information.

In accordance with the warning system 10 described above, when the location information of the non line of sight area for a certain vehicle 20 is transmitted, another vehicle 20 can judge whether a pedestrian is present in the non line of sight area for the certain vehicle 20. In addition, since it is found out that its own terminal is located in the non line of sight area of the vehicle 20, the terminal 82 can output the warning information to the pedestrian 80. With this configuration, traffic safety can be increased. In addition, when the location information of the risk area of a certain vehicle 20 is received, in a case where the image information acquired in the past within a predetermined period of time exists, the other the vehicle 20 may transmit the image information together with acquired time information to the vehicle 20.

Note that the vehicle 20 is one example of transport equipment. The transport equipment includes a motor vehicle such as a passenger vehicle or a bus, a saddle type vehicle, a bicycle, or the like. In addition, the movable object includes, in addition to a person, transport equipment such as a motor vehicle like a passenger vehicle or a bus, a saddle type vehicle, or a bicycle.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a computer 2000 where a plurality of embodiments of the present invention may be entirely or partially embodied. Programs installed in the computer 2000 can cause the computer 2000 to: function as apparatuses such as the information processing apparatus 24 according to the embodiments, or each unit of the apparatuses; execute operations associated with the apparatuses or each unit of the apparatuses; and/or execute a process according to the embodiments or steps of the process. Such programs may be executed by a central processing unit (CPU) 2012 in order to cause the computer 2000 to execute a specific operation associated with some or all of the processing procedures and the blocks in the block diagram described in this specification.

The computer 2000 according to the present embodiment includes the CPU 2012 and a RAM 2014, which are mutually connected by a host controller 2010. The computer 2000 also includes a ROM 2026, a flash memory 2024, a communication interface 2022, and an input/output chip 2040. The ROM 2026, the flash memory 2024, the communication interface 2022, and the input/output chip 2040 are connected to the host controller 2010 via an input/output controller 2020.

The CPU 2012 operates according to the programs stored in the ROM 2026 and the RAM 2014, thereby controlling each unit.

The communication interface 2022 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The flash memory 2024 stores the programs and data used by the CPU 2012 in the computer 2000. The ROM 2026 stores a boot program or the like executed by the computer 2000 during activation, and/or a program depending on hardware of the computer 2000. The input/output chip 2040 may also connect various input/output units such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a monitor, to the input/output controller 2020 via input/output ports such as a serial port, a parallel port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, a monitor port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI (registered trademark)) port.

The programs are provided via a network or a computer-readable medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a memory card. The RAM 2014, the ROM 2026, or the flash memory 2024 is an example of the computer-readable medium. The programs are installed in the flash memory 2024, the RAM 2014 or the ROM 2026, and are executed by the CPU 2012. Information processing written in these programs is read by the computer 2000, and provides cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or a method may be configured by implementing operation or processing of information according to a use of the computer 2000.

For example, when communication is performed between the computer 2000 and an external device, the CPU 2012 may execute a communication program loaded in the RAM 2014, and instruct the communication interface 2022 to execute communication processing, based on processing written in the communication program. The communication interface 2022, under the control of the CPU 2012, reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer processing region provided in a recording medium such as the RAM 2014 and the flash memory 2024, sends the read transmission data to the network, and writes reception data received from the network into a reception buffer processing region or the like provided on the recording medium.

Moreover, the CPU 2012 may cause all or necessary portion of a file or a database stored in the recording medium such as the flash memory 2024 or the like, to be read by the RAM 2014, and execute various types of processing on the data on the RAM 2014. Next, the CPU 2012 writes back the processed data into the recording medium.

Various types of programs and various types of information such as data, a table, and a database may be stored in the recording medium, and subjected to information processing. The CPU 2012 may execute, on the data read from the RAM 2014, various types of processing including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgement, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information retrieval/replacement, or the like described in this specification and specified by instruction sequences of the programs, and writes back the results into the RAM 2014. Moreover, the CPU 2012 may retrieve information in a file, a database, or the like in the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute is stored in the recording medium, the CPU 2012 may retrieve, out of said plurality of entries, an entry with the attribute value of the first attribute specified that meets a condition, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in said entry, and thereby acquire the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute meeting a predetermined condition.

The programs or software module described above may be stored on the computer 2000 or in a computer-readable medium near the computer 2000. A recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as the computer-readable medium. The programs stored in the computer-readable medium may be provided to the computer 2000 via the network.

The program installed in the computer 2000 and causing the computer 2000 to function as the information processing apparatus 24 may instruct the CPU 2012 or the like to cause the computer 2000 to function as each unit of the information processing apparatus 24. The information processing written in these programs are read by the computer 2000 to cause the computer to function as each unit of the information processing apparatus 24, which is specific means realized by the cooperation of software and the various types of hardware resources described above. Then, these specific means implement operations or processing of information according to the intended use of the computer 2000 in the present embodiment, so that the information processing apparatus 24 is constructed as a specific information processing apparatus according to the intended use.

Various embodiments have been described with reference to the block diagram or the like. In the block diagram, each block may represent (1) a step of a process in which an operation is executed, or (2) each unit of the apparatus having a role in executing the operation. Specific steps and each unit may be implemented by a dedicated circuit, a programmable circuit supplied along with a computer-readable instruction stored on a computer-readable medium, and/or a processor supplied along with the computer-readable instruction stored on the computer-readable medium. The dedicated circuit may include a digital and/or analog hardware circuit, or may include an integrated circuit (IC) and/or a discrete circuit. The programmable circuit may include a reconfigurable hardware circuit including: logical AND, logical OR, logical XOR, logical NAND, logical NOR, and other logical operations; a memory element such as a flip-flop, a register, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic array (PLA), or the like; and so on. The computer-readable medium may include any tangible device capable of storing an instruction executed by an appropriate device, so that the computer-readable medium having the instruction stored thereon constitutes at least a part of a product including an instruction that may be executed in order to provide means to execute an operation specified by a processing procedure or a block diagram. Examples of the computer-readable media may include an electronic storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage medium, an electromagnetic storage medium, a semiconductor storage medium, or the like. More specific examples of the computer-readable medium may include a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk, a memory stick, an integrated circuit card, or the like.

The computer-readable instruction may include either of source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages including: an assembler instruction, an instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instruction, a machine instruction, a machine dependent instruction, a microcode, a firmware instruction, state-setting data; or an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk (registered trademark), JAVA (registered trademark), C++, or the like; and a conventional procedural programming language such as a “C” programming language or a similar programming language.

The computer-readable instruction may be provided to a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a processor or a programmable circuit of another programmable data processing apparatus, locally or via a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet or the like, and the computer-readable instruction may be executed in order to provide a means to execute operations specified by the described processing procedure or the block diagram. Examples of the processor include a computer processor, a processing unit, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor, a controller, a microcontroller, or the like.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. It is apparent to persons skilled in the art that various alterations and improvements can be added to the above-described embodiments. It is also apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such alterations or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The operations, procedures, steps, and stages of each process performed by an apparatus, system, program, and method shown in the claims, embodiments, or diagrams can be performed in any order as long as the order is not indicated by “prior to,” “before,” or the like and as long as the output from a previous process is not used in a later process. Even if the process flow is described using phrases such as “first” or “next” in the claims, embodiments, or diagrams, it does not necessarily mean that the process must be performed in this order.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCES

-   10 warning system -   20 vehicle -   21 radar -   22 camera -   24 information processing apparatus -   25 GNSS reception unit -   26 vehicle speed sensor -   28 wind shield -   29 sensor -   30 drive assist control apparatus -   40 information output apparatus -   50 base station -   70, 72 road -   80 pedestrian -   82 terminal -   90 building -   110, 120, 130 area -   111, 112, 113, 114, 121, 122, 123, 124 point -   210 image acquisition unit -   220 detection unit -   230 location information acquisition unit -   250 transmission control unit -   260 reception control unit -   270 determination unit -   280 storage unit -   290 communication apparatus -   2000 computer -   2010 host controller -   2012 CPU -   2014 RAM -   2020 input/output controller -   2022 communication interface -   2024 flash memory -   2026 ROM -   2040 input/output chip 

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication control apparatus comprising: an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image from an image capturing unit installed in a movable object; a reception control unit configured to control reception of risk area information including location information from another movable object; a determination unit configured to determine whether a notification target is present in a region based on the location information included in the risk area information based on the image; and a transmission control unit configured to control transmission of a determination result of the determination unit to the other movable object.
 2. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the location information is a plurality of pieces of coordinate information indicating an area where it is to be determined on whether a notification target is present; and the determination unit is configured to determine whether the notification target is present in an area including the plurality of pieces of coordinate information.
 3. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the location information includes coordinate information indicating an area where it is to be determined on whether a notification target is present, and distance information from the coordinate information; and the determination unit is configured to determine whether the notification target is present in an area set by the coordinate information and the distance information.
 4. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the location information indicates an area where a presence of the notification target cannot be recognized from the other movable object.
 5. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification target includes at least one of a person and a vehicle.
 6. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the risk area information includes designation information indicating a movable object that is to transmit the determination result; and when it is judged that the determination result is to be transmitted based on the designation information, the determination unit is configured to determine whether a notification target is present in a region based on the location information included in the risk area information.
 7. The communication control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the designation information includes information indicating at least one of a location, an orientation, an advancing direction, and a type of the movable object that is to transmit the determination result.
 8. The communication control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the location information indicates an area where a presence of the notification target cannot be recognized from the other movable object.
 9. The communication control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the location information indicates an area where a presence of the notification target cannot be recognized from the other movable object.
 10. The communication control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the notification target includes at least one of a person and a vehicle.
 11. The communication control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the notification target includes at least one of a person and a vehicle.
 12. The communication control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the notification target includes at least one of a person and a vehicle.
 13. The communication control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the risk area information includes designation information indicating a movable object that is to transmit the determination result; and when it is judged that the determination result is to be transmitted based on the designation information, the determination unit is configured to determine whether a notification target is present in a region based on the location information included in the risk area information.
 14. The communication control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the risk area information includes designation information indicating a movable object that is to transmit the determination result; and when it is judged that the determination result is to be transmitted based on the designation information, the determination unit is configured to determine whether a notification target is present in a region based on the location information included in the risk area information.
 15. The communication control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the designation information includes information indicating at least one of a location, an orientation, an advancing direction, and a type of the movable object that is to transmit the determination result.
 16. The communication control apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the designation information includes information indicating at least one of a location, an orientation, an advancing direction, and a type of the movable object that is to transmit the determination result.
 17. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable object is a vehicle.
 18. A vehicle comprising: the communication control apparatus according to claim
 17. 19. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as: an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image from an image capturing unit installed in a movable object; a reception control unit configured to control reception of risk area information including location information from another movable object; a determination unit configured to determine whether a notification target is present in a region based on the location information included in the risk area information based on the image; and a transmission control unit configured to control transmission of a determination result of the determination unit to the other movable object.
 20. A communication control method comprising: acquiring an image from an image capturing unit installed in a movable object; controlling reception of risk area information including location information from another movable object; determining whether a notification target is present in a region based on the location information included in the risk area information based on the image; and controlling transmission of a determination result of the determining step to the other movable object. 